An unworkable health care plan

Legislators intend to introduce a measure requiring all state residents to purchase health insurance. Evidence of the sloppy thinking behind the effort comes from Sen. Joseph Vitale, who says he won't have to "sell the plan to the public" because "They more than understand the significance of health care and fear that they will lose theirs if, God forbid, they get sick."
If the public understands the importance of health insurance, why does Vitale intend to use the state's police power to compel people to purchase insurance? The argument that the state can require a driver's license is specious. Citizens can choose whether to drive.
Lawmakers have conveniently found windfall financing for this bureaucratic nightmare. They would allow Horizon Blue Cross to convert to for-profit status, which would allegedly permit recovery of more than $1 billion in tax breaks Horizon received through its nonprofit status. But it is unlikely the cash would materialize because the deal would be structured to minimize the tax hit. Even if the funds became available, they belong to New Jerseyans and could be used to reduce taxes or debt. Finally, the financing is one-shot, but the spending goes on.